Welcome Home, Autumn
by CreepyxDegrassi
Summary: The Torres family becomes a mess when they find out that the youngest daughter, Autumn, is coming to Toronto due to a horrible death. How will Adam and Drew cope? Note: I do not own Degrassi, I only own Autumn and the plot. Story is rewritten.
1. Chapter 1

_ Ring! Ring!_

"Drew, please get the house phone!" Audra yelled from the kitchen as she was trying to finish cooking dinner. Drew sighed, setting his laptop to the side as he reached over for the house phone. Without checking the caller ID, he pressed the talk button and put the phone to his ear. "Torres residence."

"Andrew." A soft voice breathed softly inside the phone. Hearing his full name from that voice, he knew exactly who it was. A smile formed across his lips, "Well look who it is. Haven't heard from you in a long time."

"Andrew, I need help. Something, anything. Please!" Drew's happiness instantly turned into worry. He sat up, his worried eyes focusing to the floor. "Is everything alright?"

"She killed herself."

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Rumors spread throughout the Degrassi students that summer about the "Secret Torres Sibling." It was quite odd for most of the students. Who knew there was a third Torres? Why did nobody know about her in the first place?

Some said it was just a stupid rumor. Some said she was probably hiding from the stupid family she had to deal with. Even some said it was Adam going back to being a girl. None were right, of course. The story was much different, and much more complicated.

As soon as Autumn's plane was motionless, she quickly stood up, getting out of the cramped and smelly plane as fast as she could. Oh, how she hated planes. As soon as she walked out into the gate, she looked around, unexpectedly seeing her older brother standing there. She grinned, running over and giving him a huge hug.

"Autumn!" Drew laughed, hugging the girl tight. "It's awesome to see you. I haven't seen you in like, 3 years."

"I really missed you." Autumn said into his chest, not looking up at him. Drew took a deep breath, "Let's get your bags and go home."

After getting the bags and going to the car, both Torres siblings were now on the way back to the house, but stuck in traffic. Autumn rolled down the window, "It's so hot out here."

"Isn't it really hot in LA?" Drew glanced at his sister as he drove. She nodded, "You get used to that, though. This is almost humidity." Drew shrugged, "You'll get used to it."

"So, where are Adam, Omar, and Audra?" Autumn asked, turning her head to face Drew's as he drove slowly through the traffic. He tried to ignore the question. "Damn, I think there's a car accident in front of us."

"Earth to Drew!" Autumn snapped her fingers in front of him, getting his attention. "Oh, Adam and our parents? Adam's hanging with Eli at some comic book convention all weekend. And, Mom and Dad are just getting the house ready."

"Eli?" The name sounded familiar to Autumn. Maybe Adam had mentioned him over the phone one day? She shrugged it off. "They're getting the house ready? That's surprising."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, what are they getting it ready for?"

"You, obviously."

Autumn rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "I highly doubt that."

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A few hours passed until Autumn and Drew finally reached the house. Autumn stepped out of the car and pulled her two bags out, staring up at the house as if it were completely new to her. Drew turned the car off and got out, walking toward the house.

"Hello?" Drew called out as he walked inside, even though he knew there would be no answer from anyone. Autumn followed behind him inside the house, seeing the lights were off.

"I thought you said they were getting the house ready?" Drew flipped a light switch on, causing light to shine in only the living room. "Give me your bags; I'll go take them to your room." Drew replied, ignoring Autumn's question. Autumn sighed, handing Drew both her bags. He began up the stairs, "Go ahead into the kitchen. There should be food or something in there."

Autumn walked inside the kitchen, flipping the light on and seeing something strange on the counter. She narrowed her eyebrows, walking over and picking up what was a note, a stack of cash and a credit card beside it. She looked at the note, seeing there was only one word on it.

_Bye._


	2. Chapter 2

That night, Autumn decided to write. It was one of her favorite things to do. It got her mind off of things. But her writing was interrupted by her older brother, Drew, knocking on the door and coming inside.

"You busy?" He asked as she quickly crumpled up the paper and threw it in the trash, not wanting him to see what she had written. "Of course not. What's up?" Drew sat at the edge of Autumn's bed, sighing. "I was hoping we could talk."

"Is something wrong?" Autumn asked, narrowing her eyebrows.

"What happened?" Drew asked blankly. Autumn cocked her head to one side, keeping her eyes on Drew's. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Aunt Rebecca, Autumn!" Drew snapped back, causing Autumn to sit up. She looked down to the floor, muttering softly, "I told you, she killed herself…"

"Remember when we were younger, and you would call Mom and Dad by their real names?"

"I still do that, Andrew."

"Why, though?"

"Think about it. They never treated me like a daughter, and still don't, so I don't treat them like parents." Drew hesitated, thinking about Autumn's words. He never understood why his parents had sent her to LA in the first place. Was it supposed to mean something?

"So, how did she kill herself, then…? Where were you?"

Autumn shook her head, her eyes still looking to the ground. That memory haunted her. Yes, it was only weeks ago, but it would haunt her for the rest of her life, just like all her other memories. _You don't deserve to be here. Nobody loves you._

"Autumn?" Drew narrowed his eyebrows, seeing she was lost in thought. She finally looked up, looking at him. "What?"

"You never answered my question."

"Question?"

"How'd she die, and where were you?"

"Right, that question." Autumn sighed heavily, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. "Well, I had just gotten home from school. I sat my backpack down, and-"

_"Autumn!" Rebecca yelled as Autumn sat her backpack down on the couch. She had just finished her last day of her freshman year. "Yeah, Rebecca?" She called, slipping her shoes off. Rebecca walked into the living room, a knife in her hands. Autumn gulped, "Rebecca…?" She had a feeling Rebecca would stab her. She wouldn't beg for her life, of course. She would let Rebecca kill her. As long as she wasn't tortured anymore, she was okay with it._

Drew stayed silent, his gaze going to the floor. He hated to know that his little sister went through things like that. Would she be alright? Was she ever alright in the first place? It was sad, he thought. He knew something had happened to Autumn as a child, but what? He was clueless.

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It was a long summer.

Chores were done, bills were paid, groceries were bought, and no fun was happening. What the Torres siblings' expected of a summer became the complete opposite. And before they knew it, school was back.

"And remember, stay away from the boys. All Degrassi boys are bad." Drew concluded his and Adam's "talk" to Autumn. Autumn rolled her eyes, feeling like a five year old. They did treat her like that a lot, as if she couldn't take care of herself. Did they not realize she had been taking care of herself since she could remember?

"Yes sir." Autumn replied casually as she stood up, her purple polo and khaki skirt on her body. Her dark hair was curly for her first day. She just wanted to make a good impression for once.

"See you later!" Drew and Adam called to her at the same time as they made their separate ways in the hallways of Degrassi, leaving Autumn by herself. Where was she supposed to go now? She looked around, seeing the hallways were filled with teenagers. She gulped lightly to herself.

"Is it just me, or do you look lost?" A voice came from behind her, causing her to quickly turn around. A boy with long dark hair in a blue polo stood in front of her, making her bite her bottom lip.

"Um, do you by any chance know where Mr. Bentenkamp's room is?" Autumn replied softly, her nervousness being noticeable. He smirked, "Hey, I'll walk you there."

He began to walk down the halls, causing Autumn to follow right behind him. He made it so they were walking side by side, bringing his gaze over to the girl. "Guessing you're a new kid?"

"Autumn Torres, and you are?"

"Eli Goldsworthy…" Eli hesitated. "Did you just say Torres?" Autumn cocked her head to one side as she walked, "I'm guessing you know one of my brothers?"

"Adam is my best friend, if you must know. Why have I not heard of you?"

"Long story that isn't fun explaining." Autumn replied, making Eli raise his eyebrows in curiosity. He was about to ask, until he realized they were in front of her classroom. He stopped and looked down at the short brunette. "I'll see you around, Torres?"

"Of course. Thanks for walking me here." She gave him a small smile before walking inside. He watched her take a seat before walking away to his own class.


	3. Chapter 3

That night, Autumn decided to go for a walk. She wanted to get used to the city; maybe meet a few new people that went to Degrassi. Sure, she had lived there since the beginning of summer, but she didn't get out of the house much during then. Now she needed to meet people, and try to make her life a little different.

It was a cold night. Autumn wore her gray hoodie that used to be her exes back in LA, her skinny jeans and the only pair of shoes she owned; her ripped up black Vans. Autumn kept her hood over her head, trying to keep herself warm.

As she glanced down at her phone to check the time, she felt her body come in contact with a much larger one. Her phone fell out of her hands and hit the sidewalk as she stumbled back, catching herself before she fell. She looked up to see a tall, black person standing in front of her. He looked about Drew's age, maybe a little older. At first, he looked very mad. But he stared at her face for a second before half smiling. "Sorry 'bout that." He bent down and picked up Autumn's cell phone, standing up straight and handing it to her.

Embarrassed and confused at the same time, Autumn took her phone from his grasp, sticking it back in her pocket. "It was my fault. I should have been paying attention—"

"I'm Vince Johnson." The man spoke, "And you are?"

"Autumn Torres…" She replied hesitantly. The man, Vince, stared at the girl for a few moments. He smirked. "Torres. Like, related to squeaky clean."

"Squeaky clean?" Autumn asked, narrowing her eyebrows.

"Drew." Vince replied. Autumn paused, then nodded. "Oh, yeah. He's my older brother." Vince smirked, "You seem cool. Wanna hang? I think my friend, Josh, would like to get to know you." Autumn didn't reply, being lost in her thoughts. Vince. The name sounded so familiar. She had never met a Vince, nor seen him before. Why did it sound so familiar?

"So what do you say, Little Torres?" Then it hit her.

_Autumn, it's Drew. I know you're probably busy, considering there's a time difference from here and LA, but, Adam got shot. That guy who jumped me did it. I just…. Please call back. I'm scared._

Autumn stood frozen. He was involved in that gang. She couldn't get involved with stuff like that. Not again.

"I—I can't. I have to get back home." She glanced up at the sky, seeing it was almost pitch black. Vince frowned, making her look at him again.

"What, overprotective older brother give you a curfew? I can get you home. Just, please." Autumn only shook her head, turning around and quickly walking away, glancing back to make sure he wasn't following.

**Authors note; Sorry about it being short! 3 reviews and I'll update?**


	4. Chapter 4

"Josh!"

"What the hell do you want?"

"I think I found our girl."

The stoned black guy stepped out of his room and into the living room, his tattoos revealed from being shirtless. "Who is she?"

"A Torres; related to 'Squeaky Clean'."

"What is she, a cousin?"

"Little sister."

Josh smirked, pulling the joint away from his mouth. "Little Torres."

"How am I meeting this chick?"

Vince shrugged, "When I get a plan to get her ass over here." Josh shook his head, his smirk not leaving his lips. "I have a better idea."

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"You've got to be kidding me."

Drew began to pace back and forth as Adam sighed, looking down at the floor. He didn't like to see Drew upset or scared. It was never a pretty site. "Everything alright, dude?" Drew turned his head and saw Autumn walking down the stairs. She narrowed her eyebrows at her older brother, sitting in front of the couch and crisscrossing her legs on the floor. Drew sighed, shaking his head, "Everything's fine, Autumn."

"Sure doesn't look like it." Autumn replied as she tilted her head back so she could look at Adam. Adam shook his head also, bringing his gaze away from Autumn's. After a minute of silence, Drew finally sat back down on the couch. "Autumn, I wanna ask you something."

"Shoot it," Autumn replied as she turned her body so she was facing her older brothers.

"What did Rebecca do to you?" Drew asked, though it had nothing to do with the conversation he was just having minutes ago. He knew he shouldn't be asking, but it was his little sister, and he wanted to know.

"That isn't any of your business." Autumn spoke, crossing her arms over her chest as she kept her eyes focused on her brothers. Drew sighed heavily, "You're our little sister. I think we have a right to know."

Autumn brought her glare to Adam as he nodded in agreement, making her roll her eyes. "I don't care that you're my older brothers. You have no right to just get into my head."

"Get into your head? Autumn, what the hell are you talking about?" Drew replied, narrowing his eyebrows. As Autumn didn't respond, Adam spoke up, "Come on, just tell us."

"Please, just leave me alone." Autumn replied as she stood up, walking away from her brothers and up the stairs. Without thinking, Drew clenched his teeth together and stood up, grabbing Autumn's arm.

"Don't touch me!" Autumn screamed almost instantly, pulling away from Drew's grasp and running up to her room as fast as she could. Drew and Adam both flinched as they heard the door slam shut. _What did Rebecca do to her?_


	5. Chapter 5

"How have you been, Miss Torres?"

"Fine."

"You miss LA?"

"Not at all."

"How have your brothers been treating you?"

Autumn didn't reply, looking toward the floor at her feet. It was almost like her therapist could read her.

"What's with the long sleeves? It's pretty warm out today."

Autumn squinted her eyes shut for a moment, taking a deep breath. "I thought it would be cool today." Her therapist sighed, sitting back in her chair. "You've been cutting again." It wasn't a question.

"I never told you I cut." Autumn replied almost instantly, looking up at her therapist. Her therapist looked down at the notebook she had in her lap, "You think Lexi didn't tell me things about you before you started coming here?" Autumn rolled her eyes at the mention of her old therapist in LA.

"Alright, I started cutting again. I gotta cope somehow."

"Tell me, Autumn. When did you start to cut?"

"When I was five or six. Maybe seven."

"That young? How did you even know about cutting?"

Autumn smiled slightly, shaking her head. "It's a funny story, actually."

_Autumn stood in the kitchen as she was putting the clean dishes away. She knew Aunt Rebecca wouldn't be so mad at her if she actually did the dishes and maybe a few other chores. Autumn picked up a kitchen knife, which was still a little wet, and walked toward the drawer it was supposed to go in. When she opened the drawer, the knife slipped from her hands. She tried to grab it but only cut her arm in the process. She groaned, grabbing the knife with one hand and putting her free hand over the cut. She was surprised that it didn't hurt. It almost felt, good. She brought her hand away, blood covering it, as she stared at the cut going across her arm. The blood slowly started to come out, some of it dripping down to the floor. Autumn gulped, taking the knife with the bloody hand and slowly dragging it across her arm and creating a new cut. More blood was falling to the floor, making her smile._

"Why did you stop?"

"The pain. Not from cutting. When I cut, I don't feel a thing. But when Rebecca hurt me, it hurt more than it should because of my cuts. So I just stopped. I mean, it wasn't easy. I'm surprised I did it. But when she died, I told myself I wouldn't start again. And I came here and the world decided to make my life worse than it was."

"How did it become worse?"

"I'm a loner here, Degrassi sucks, my brothers hate me, and I made Audra and Omar leave."

"They don't hate you, Autumn."

"Everyone hates me."

"Can you tell me what you do when you're not at school?"

"Try doing my homework, blast music, and write."

"Why don't you do a sport? Or maybe get a job?"

Autumn narrowed her eyebrows. She didn't like sports. But get a job? Hey, they did need the cash. Autumn cocked her head to one side. "I saw a sign that said Little Miss Steaks was hiring." Her therapist added, keeping her eyes on Autumn.

"I guess I could try and get a job." Autumn replied. She had never been in Little Miss Steaks, since it was a restaurant. She looked up at her therapist as she sighed. "Well, I guess that's all the time we have. Same time next week?"

Autumn nodded and stood up. "See you next week, Karen."


End file.
